JP7590197B2 - Parking lot congestion degree calculation device, parking lot congestion degree calculation program, and parking lot congestion degree calculation system - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a technology for calculating the parking rate or congestion level of a parking lot.

Technology for calculating the parking rate or congestion level of a parking lot is disclosed in Patent Document 1 and other publications. In Patent Document 1, images of license plates are obtained from cameras installed at the entrance and exit of the parking lot, and standard vehicles and large vehicles are identified based on the license plate recognition results. The current number of standard vehicles and large vehicles parked is then calculated based on the previous number of parked standard vehicles and large vehicles, the most recent number of entering standard vehicles and large vehicles, and the most recent number of exiting standard vehicles and large vehicles, and the current parking rate or congestion level for standard vehicles and large vehicles is calculated based on the current number of parked standard vehicles and large vehicles and the number of parking spaces for standard vehicles and large vehicles.

JP 2001-291194 A JP 2018-005786 A

Patent Document 1 does not take into account that regular cars park not only in parking spaces for regular cars but also in spaces shared by regular cars and large cars, and that large cars park not only in parking spaces for large cars but also in spaces shared by large cars and regular cars, so it is not possible to calculate the parking rates or congestion levels for regular cars and large cars with high accuracy. Furthermore, it does not take into account that regular cars park in parking spaces for large cars when the parking rate or congestion level for regular cars is high, and that large cars park in parking spaces for regular cars when the parking rate or congestion level for large cars is high, so it is not possible to calculate the parking rates or congestion levels for regular cars and large cars with high accuracy.

Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure aims to calculate the parking rate or congestion level of each vehicle type with high accuracy even when there is a shared space for all vehicle types, and to calculate the parking rate or congestion level of each vehicle type with high accuracy even when the parking rate or congestion level of a certain vehicle type is high.

In order to solve the above problem, when there are shared spaces for all vehicle types, the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type is calculated based on the number of vehicles that can be parked in each shared space for each vehicle type and the estimated ratio of the number of spaces used to the total number of shared spaces for each vehicle type. Then, when the parking rate or congestion level for a certain vehicle type is high, the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type is calculated based on how many vehicles of that vehicle type are excluded from the parking space for that vehicle type and how many vehicles of that vehicle type are converted into for each vehicle of that vehicle type.

Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a parking lot congestion degree calculation device that includes a parked vehicle number calculation unit that calculates the current number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type based on the previous number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type, the most recent number of vehicles entering the parking lot, and the most recent number of vehicles exiting the parking lot; a parkable vehicle number calculation unit that calculates the number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type in the entire parking lot based on the number of parking spaces for each vehicle type, the number of shared spaces for all vehicle types, the number of vehicles that can be parked in each shared space for each vehicle type, and the estimated ratio of the number of spaces used in the entire shared spaces for each vehicle type; and a parking rate calculation unit that calculates the current parking rate or congestion degree for each vehicle type based on the current number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type and the current number of vehicles that can be parked in the entire parking lot for each vehicle type.

With this configuration, when there is a shared space for all vehicle types, it is taken into consideration that a certain vehicle type will park not only in its own parking space, but also in a space shared between that vehicle type and other vehicle types, so the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type can be calculated with high accuracy.

The present disclosure also provides a parking lot congestion calculation device, characterized in that the parking capacity calculation unit sets the expected ratio of the number of occupied spaces to the total number of shared spaces for each vehicle type to the expected ratio of the number of occupied spaces to the total number of shared spaces for each vehicle type according to the time period or date.

With this configuration, when there are shared spaces for all vehicle types, the expected ratio of the number of spaces used by each vehicle type to the total number of shared spaces is set according to the time of day (morning, afternoon, night, etc.) or the date (holidays, etc.), making it possible to calculate the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type with high accuracy.

The present disclosure also provides a parking lot congestion degree calculation device characterized in that the parking rate calculation unit calculates the current parking rate or congestion degree of a certain vehicle type when the certain vehicle type is parked in a space used by other vehicle types, based on how many vehicles of the certain vehicle type are excluded from the total number of vehicles that can be parked in the parking lot when the current parking rate or congestion degree of the certain vehicle type exceeds 100% and how many vehicles of the certain vehicle type are converted into one vehicle of the certain vehicle type.

With this configuration, when there is a shared space for all vehicle types and when the parking rate or congestion rate of a certain vehicle type is high, it is taken into consideration that the vehicle type will be parked in a space used by other vehicle types, so the parking rate or congestion rate of each vehicle type can be calculated with high accuracy.

The present disclosure also provides a parking lot congestion degree calculation device that includes a parking number calculation unit that calculates the current number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type based on the previous number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type, the most recent number of entering vehicles for each vehicle type, and the most recent number of exiting vehicles for each vehicle type, and a parking rate calculation unit that calculates the current parking rate or congestion degree for each vehicle type based on the current number of parked vehicles for each vehicle type and the number of parking spaces for each vehicle type when the current parking rate or congestion degree for a certain vehicle type exceeds 100%, based on how many vehicles of the vehicle type are excluded from the parking space for that vehicle type and how many vehicles of the vehicle type are converted into for that vehicle type.

With this configuration, not only when there is a shared space for all vehicle types, but also when the parking rate or congestion level of a certain vehicle type is high, it is taken into consideration that the vehicle type will be parked in a parking space for other vehicle types, so the parking rate or congestion level of each vehicle type can be calculated with high accuracy.

The present disclosure also provides a parking lot congestion degree calculation device that further includes an entry/exit number calculation unit that acquires radar reflection point information from a radar transmitting/receiving device installed at the parking lot entrance and parking lot exit, identifies each vehicle type based on clustering of the radar reflection points, and calculates the most recent number of entering vehicles of each vehicle type and the most recent number of exiting vehicles of each vehicle type.

With this configuration, instead of using an imaging system that monitors part of the parking lot (which has low installation and maintenance costs but low accuracy in determining parking rate or congestion), or a buried system that is installed in each parking stall (which has high accuracy in determining parking rate or congestion rate but high installation and maintenance costs), it is possible to use a radar system that monitors the entrances and exits of the parking lot (which has low installation and maintenance costs, high accuracy in determining parking rate or congestion rate, and is not affected by the surrounding weather, etc.).

The present disclosure also relates to a parking lot congestion degree calculation program that is installed on a computer to cause the computer to function as the parking lot congestion degree calculation device described above.

The present disclosure also provides a parking lot congestion degree calculation system that includes the parking lot congestion degree calculation device described above and a radar transmitting and receiving device installed at the parking lot entrance and parking lot exit.

With these configurations, it is possible to provide a parking lot congestion degree calculation program and a parking lot congestion degree calculation system that have the same effects as those described above.

In this way, the present disclosure makes it possible to calculate with high accuracy the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type even when there is a shared parking space for all vehicle types, and to calculate with high accuracy the parking rate or congestion level for each vehicle type even when the parking rate or congestion level for a certain vehicle type is high.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking lot congestion degree calculation system according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating processing of a radar transceiver device according to the present disclosure. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a process for calculating the number of parking spaces according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of calculation of the number of parking spaces according to the present disclosure. A diagram showing the setting of the assumed ratio of the number of shared use squares in the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the parking rate calculation process of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of parking rate calculation according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of parking rate calculation according to the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the parking rate for each vehicle type of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are examples of implementations of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Configuration of the parking lot congestion degree calculation system of the present disclosure)
The configuration of a parking lot congestion degree calculation system according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 1. The processing of a radar transmitting and receiving device according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 2. The configuration of a parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 3.

The parking lot congestion calculation system C is applied to a parking lot P on an expressway, but may also be applied to a parking lot P on a general road. A small vehicle S is parked not only in a parking space PS for small vehicles S, but also in a space PC shared by small vehicles S and large vehicles B. A large vehicle B is parked not only in a parking space PB for large vehicles B, but also in a space PC shared by large vehicles B and small vehicles S.

The parking lot congestion degree calculation system C includes a parking lot congestion degree calculation device 1, an available/unavailable information board control device 2, an available/unavailable information board 3, a radar transmitting/receiving device 4, a radar transmitting/receiving device 5, and a network 6. The parking lot congestion degree calculation device 1 includes an entry/exit number of vehicles calculation unit 11, a number of parked vehicles calculation unit 12, a number of parkable vehicles calculation unit 13, and a parking rate calculation unit 14, and can be realized by installing the parking lot congestion degree calculation program shown in Figures 4 and 7 on a computer.

The radar transmitter/receiver 4 is installed at the entrance of the parking lot P and monitors the entrance measurement area MI in the entrance lane LI. The radar transmitter/receiver 5 is installed at the exit of the parking lot P and monitors the exit measurement area MO in the exit lane LO. A millimeter wave radar may be used as the radar transmitter/receiver 4 and 5. Cameras or counters may be placed instead of the radar transmitter/receiver 4 and 5.

The radar sensor of the radar traffic volume measurement device disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be applied as the radar transmitter/receiver devices 4 and 5. Here, the radar sensor disclosed in Patent Document 2 is applicable to the cases where a vehicle runs away from the radar sensor and the cases where a vehicle approaches the radar sensor. Therefore, the radar transmitter/receiver device 5 installed at the exit of the parking lot P may apply the radar sensor disclosed in Patent Document 2 so as to detect only vehicles running away from the radar sensor. On the other hand, the radar transmitter/receiver device 4 installed at the entrance of the parking lot P may apply the radar sensor disclosed in Patent Document 2 so as to detect only vehicles approaching the radar sensor.

(Processing for calculating the number of parking spaces according to the present disclosure)
The process of calculating the number of parking spaces according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 4. A specific example of the calculation of the number of parking spaces according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 5. The setting of the expected ratio of the number of shared spaces according to the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 6.

The entry/exit vehicle count calculation unit 11 executes steps S1 and S2 at a predetermined time interval.

The entry and exit vehicle number calculation unit 11 acquires radar reflection point information from the radar transmitting and receiving devices 4 and 5 via the network 6, and identifies large vehicles B and small vehicles S based on the clustering of the radar reflection points (step S1). The clustering unit of the radar traffic volume measurement device disclosed in Patent Document 2 can be used as the entry and exit vehicle number calculation unit 11.

Based on the identification results of large vehicles B and small vehicles S, the entry/exit number calculation unit 11 calculates the most recent entry number Bin of large vehicles B, the most recent exit number Bout of large vehicles B, the most recent entry number Sin of small vehicles S, and the most recent exit number Sout of small vehicles S (step S2).

The parked vehicle count calculation unit 12 executes steps S3 and S4 at predetermined time intervals.

The parked vehicle number calculation unit 12 calculates the current number of parked large vehicles B, Bt=Bt-1+Bin-Bout, based on the previous number of parked large vehicles B, Bt-1, the most recent number of entering large vehicles B, Bin, and the most recent number of exiting large vehicles B, Bout (step S3). Here, the previous number of parked large vehicles B, Bt-1, may be measured visually by the operator at an initial stage.

The parked vehicle number calculation unit 12 calculates the current number of parked small vehicles S St = St-1 + Sin-Sout based on the previous number of parked small vehicles S St-1, the most recent number of entering small vehicles S Sin, and the most recent number of exiting small vehicles S Sout (step S4). Here, the previous number of parked small vehicles S St-1 may be measured visually by the operator at an initial stage.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 executes steps S5 and S6 at predetermined time intervals.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 calculates the number of parking spaces Bp = Bmax + CR for large vehicle B in the entire parking lot P based on the number of parking spaces Bmax for large vehicle B, the number of spaces C shared by large vehicle B and small vehicle S, the number of parking spaces 1 in each shared space PC for large vehicle B, and the estimated proportion R of the number of spaces used in the entire shared space PC for large vehicle B (step S5).

In Figure 5, the number of parking spaces for large vehicles B is Bmax = 10, the number of spaces shared by large vehicles B and small vehicles S is C = 10, and the estimated ratio of used spaces to the total number of shared spaces PC for large vehicles B is R = 0.5, so the total number of parking spaces Bp for large vehicles B in the entire parking lot P is 15.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 calculates the number of parking spaces Sp = Smax + 2C (1-R) for small vehicles S in the entire parking lot P based on the number of parking spaces Smax for small vehicles S, the number of spaces C shared by small vehicles S and large vehicles B, the number of parking spaces 2 in each shared space PC for small vehicles S, and the estimated ratio 1-R of the number of spaces used in the entire shared space PC for small vehicles S (step S6).

In Figure 5, the number of parking spaces for small vehicles S is Smax = 10, the number of spaces shared by small vehicles S and large vehicles B is C = 10, and the estimated ratio of the number of used spaces to the total number of shared spaces PC for small vehicles S is 1-R = 0.5, so the total number of parking spaces Sp for small vehicles S in the entire parking lot P is 20.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 may set the estimated proportion R of the number of occupied spaces in the entire shared space PC for large vehicle B to the estimated proportion R of the number of occupied spaces in the entire shared space PC for large vehicle B according to the time of day (morning, afternoon, night, etc.) or date (holiday, etc.) (step S5).

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 may set the estimated proportion 1-R of the number of occupied spaces in the entire shared space PC for small vehicles S to the estimated proportion 1-R of the number of occupied spaces in the entire shared space PC for small vehicles S according to the time of day (morning, afternoon, night, etc.) or date (holiday, etc.) (step S6).

In Figure 6, the expected ratio R of the number of used spaces in the entire shared space PC for large vehicle B is set to 40% in the morning, 20% in the afternoon, and 100% at night on all days of the week. Exceptionally, the expected ratio R of the number of used spaces in the entire shared space PC for large vehicle B is set to 20% in the morning, 10% in the afternoon, and 100% at night during periods D1 and D2 such as consecutive holidays. However, it is acceptable to set it to an appropriate value rather than being limited to the above values depending on the usage status of parking lot P.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 can also calculate the number of parking vehicles Bp that can be parked in the entire parking lot P for large vehicle B based on the estimated proportion of the "number of parked vehicles" in the entire shared mass PC for large vehicle B. However, it is necessary to calculate the estimated proportion R of the "number of used spaces" in the entire shared mass PC for large vehicle B based on the estimated proportion of the "number of parked vehicles" in the entire shared mass PC for large vehicle B, and then calculate the number of parking vehicles Bp that can be parked in the entire parking lot P for large vehicle B.

The parking capacity calculation unit 13 can also calculate the number of parking spaces Sp for small cars S in the entire parking lot P based on the estimated proportion of the "number of parked cars" in the entire shared mass PC for small cars S. However, it is necessary to calculate the estimated proportion 1-R of the "number of used spaces" in the entire shared mass PC for small cars S based on the estimated proportion of the "number of parked cars" in the entire shared mass PC for small cars S, and then calculate the number of parking spaces Sp for small cars S in the entire parking lot P.

(Parking rate calculation process of the present disclosure)
The parking rate calculation process of the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 7. A specific example of the parking rate calculation of the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. A display of the parking rate of each vehicle type of the present disclosure is shown in Fig. 10.

The parking rate calculation unit 14 executes steps S7 to S13 at a predetermined time interval.

Based on the current number of parked large vehicles Bt and the total number of parking spaces Bp for large vehicles B in the entire parking lot P, the parking rate calculation unit 14 calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Pb = Bt/Bp * 100 [%] for large vehicles B (step S7). Here, it is assumed that large vehicles B are parked evenly in the spaces used for large vehicles B (parking spaces PB for large vehicles B and shared spaces PC), and are not parked in spaces used for small vehicles S (parking spaces PS for small vehicles S and shared spaces PC) until the spaces used for large vehicles B (parking spaces PB for large vehicles B and shared spaces PC) are full.

The parking rate calculation unit 14 calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Ps = St/Sp * 100 [%] for small vehicles S based on the current number of parked small vehicles S St and the total number of small vehicles S that can be parked in the entire parking lot P (step S8). Here, it is assumed that small vehicles S are parked evenly in the spaces used for small vehicles S (parking spaces PS for small vehicles S and shared spaces PC), and are not parked in the spaces used for large vehicles B (parking spaces PB for large vehicles B and shared spaces PC) until the spaces used for small vehicles S (parking spaces PS for small vehicles S and shared spaces PC) are full.

When the parking rate or congestion level Pb of the current large vehicle B exceeds 100% (step S9, YES), the parking rate calculation unit 14 considers that the large vehicle B will park in the space used for the small vehicle S (parking space PS and shared space PC for small vehicles S). In other words, based on how many large vehicles B are excluded from the number of large vehicles B that can be parked in the entire parking lot P for large vehicles B (= Bt - Bp) and how many small vehicles S one large vehicle B is converted into (= 2), the parking rate or congestion level Ps = {St + 2 (Bt - Bp)} / Sp * 100 [%] of the current small vehicle S when the large vehicle B is parked in the space used for the small vehicle S (parking space PS and shared space PC for small vehicles S) is calculated (step S10). Note that when the parking rate or congestion level Pb of the current large vehicle B does not exceed 100% (step S9, NO), step S10 is not executed.

In FIG. 8, the total number of large vehicles B that can be parked in the entire parking lot P is Bp = 15, but the current number of parked large vehicles B is Bt = 19, so the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicles B is 127%. Therefore, taking into account the current number of parked small vehicles S, St = 6, and the total number of small vehicles S that can be parked in the entire parking lot P is Sp = 20, the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicles S is {6 + 2 (19 - 15)} / 20 * 100 [%] = 70 [%]. Note that the upper limit of the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicles B is set to 100%.

When the parking rate or congestion level Ps of the current small vehicle S exceeds 100% (step S11, YES), the parking rate calculation unit 14 considers that the small vehicle S will be parked in the space used for the large vehicle B (parking space PB for large vehicle B and shared space PC for large vehicle B). In other words, based on how many small vehicles S are excluded from the number of small vehicles Sp that can be parked in the entire parking lot P for small vehicles S (= St-Sp) and how many large vehicles B one small vehicle S is converted to (= 0.5), the parking rate or congestion level Pb of the current large vehicle B when the small vehicle S is parked in the space used for the large vehicle B (parking space PB for large vehicle B and shared space PC for large vehicle B) is calculated (step S12). Note that when the parking rate or congestion level Ps of the current small vehicle S does not exceed 100% (step S11, NO), step S12 is not executed.

In FIG. 9, the total number of small vehicles S that can be parked in the entire parking lot P is Sp = 20, but the current number of parked small vehicles S is St = 32, so the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicles S is 160%. Therefore, taking into account the current number of parked large vehicles Bt = 6 and the total number of large vehicles B that can be parked in the entire parking lot P is Bp = 15, the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicles B is {6 + 0.5 (32 - 20)} / 15 * 100 [%] = 80 [%]. Note that the upper limit of the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicles S is set to 100%.

The parking rate calculation unit 14 calculates the current parking rate or congestion rate Pa = 2/(1/Pb + 1/Ps) (harmonic mean of Pb and Ps) for all vehicle types based on the current parking rate or congestion rate Pb for large vehicle B and the current parking rate or congestion rate Ps for small vehicle S (step S13).

In FIG. 10, for large vehicle B, if the parking rate or congestion level Pb is 0-50% or 50-100%, the congestion level is determined to be vacant or congested, respectively. A bar graph indicates that the parking rate or congestion level Pb is 70%. For small vehicle S, if the parking rate or congestion level Ps is 0-60% or 60-100%, the congestion level is determined to be vacant or congested, respectively. A bar graph indicates that the parking rate or congestion level Ps is 80%. For all vehicle types, if the parking rate or congestion level Pa is 0-40%, 40-70%, or 70-100%, the congestion level is determined to be vacant, congested, or full, respectively. A bar graph indicates that the parking rate or congestion level Pa is 80%.

The parking rate calculation unit 14 notifies the parking availability information board control device 2 of the current parking rates or congestion levels Pb, Ps, and Pa for large vehicles B, small vehicles S, and all vehicle types via the network 6. The parking availability information board control device 2 outputs the current parking rates or congestion levels Pb, Ps, and Pa for large vehicles B, small vehicles S, and all vehicle types via the network 6 to the parking availability information board 3.

(Effects of the parking lot congestion degree calculation system disclosed herein)
Instead of using an imaging system that monitors part of the parking lot P (which has low installation and maintenance costs but low accuracy in terms of parking rate or congestion rate), or an embedded system that is installed in each parking space (which has high accuracy in terms of parking rate or congestion rate but high installation and maintenance costs), it is possible to use radar transmitters and receivers 4 and 5 that monitor the entrances and exits of the parking lot P (which has low installation and maintenance costs, high accuracy in terms of parking rate or congestion rate, and is not affected by the surrounding weather, etc.).

When there is a shared space PC for large vehicles B and small vehicles S, it is taken into consideration that large vehicles B will park not only in the parking space PB for large vehicles B but also in the shared space PC for large vehicles B and small vehicles S, so the parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicles B can be calculated with high accuracy.

When there is a shared space PC for small vehicles S and large vehicles B, it is taken into consideration that small vehicles S will park not only in parking spaces PS for small vehicles S, but also in the shared space PC for small vehicles S and large vehicles B, so the parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicles S can be calculated with high accuracy.

When there is a shared mass PC for large vehicle B and small vehicle S, the estimated ratio R of the number of used masses in the entire shared mass PC for large vehicle B is set according to the time of day (morning, afternoon, night, etc.) or date (holidays, etc.), so the parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicle B can be calculated with high accuracy.

When there is a shared mass PC for small vehicles S and large vehicles B, the estimated ratio 1-R of the number of spaces used in the entire shared mass PC for small vehicles S is set according to the time of day (morning, afternoon, night, etc.) or date (holidays, etc.), so the parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicles S can be calculated with high accuracy.

When there is a shared space PC for large vehicles B and small vehicles S, and when the parking rate or congestion level Pb of large vehicles B is high, it is taken into consideration that large vehicles B will park in a space used by small vehicles S, so the parking rate or congestion level Ps of small vehicles S can be calculated with high accuracy.

When there is a shared space PC for small vehicles S and large vehicles B, and when the parking rate or congestion level Ps of small vehicles S is high, it is taken into consideration that small vehicles S will park in a space used by large vehicles B, so the parking rate or congestion level Pb of large vehicles B can be calculated with high accuracy.

(Modifications to the present disclosure)
In the present disclosure, when there is a shared mass PC for large vehicles B and small vehicles S, the parking rates or congestion levels Pb, Ps for large vehicles B and small vehicles S are calculated. In a modified example, when there is no shared mass PC for large vehicles B and small vehicles S, the parking rates or congestion levels Pb, Ps for large vehicles B and small vehicles S may be calculated. Specifically, the following process may be executed.

The parking rate calculation unit 14 calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicle B = Bt/Bmax * 100 [%] based on the current number of parked large vehicles B and the number of parking spaces for large vehicles Bmax. Then, when the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large vehicle B exceeds 100%, it calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small vehicle S = {St + 2 (Bt - Bmax)}/Smax * 100 [%] when large vehicle B is parked in the parking space PS for small vehicle S based on how many large vehicles B are excluded from the parking space PB for large vehicles B (= Bt - Bmax) and how many small vehicles S one large vehicle B is converted into (= 2).

The parking rate calculation unit 14 calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small cars S = St/Smax * 100 [%] based on the current number of parked small cars S St and the number of parking spaces for small cars S Smax. Then, when the current parking rate or congestion level Ps for small cars S exceeds 100%, it calculates the current parking rate or congestion level Pb for large cars B = {Bt + 0.5 (St - Smax)}/Bmax * 100 [%] when a small car S is parked in a parking space PB for large cars B based on how many small cars S are excluded from the parking space PS for small cars S (= St - Smax) and how many large cars B one small car S is converted to (= 0.5).

In this disclosure, large vehicles B and small vehicles S are considered as all vehicle types, and the size ratio between large vehicles B and small vehicles S is set to 2:1. In a modified example, three or more types of vehicle types may be considered as all vehicle types, and the size ratio between these vehicle types may be set to any ratio. The calculation of the number of parking spaces and the parking rate may be performed in a manner similar to that described above.

The parking lot congestion degree calculation device, parking lot congestion degree calculation program, and parking lot congestion degree calculation system disclosed herein can be applied to parking lots on expressways and general roads.

C: Parking lot congestion degree calculation system P: Parking lot LI: Entrance lane MI: Entrance measurement area LO: Exit lane MO: Exit measurement area B: Large vehicle S: Small vehicle PB: Parking space PS: Parking space PC: Shared space 1: Parking lot congestion degree calculation device 2: Vacant parking space information board control device 3: Vacant parking space information board 4: Radar transmitting/receiving device 5: Radar transmitting/receiving device 6: Network 11: Entry and exit vehicle number calculation unit 12: Parking space number calculation unit 13: Parking capacity number calculation unit 14: Parking rate calculation unit

Claims (6)

a parking number calculation unit that calculates the current number of parked vehicles of each vehicle type based on the previous number of parked vehicles of each vehicle type, the most recent number of entering vehicles of each vehicle type, and the most recent number of exiting vehicles of each vehicle type;
a parking capacity calculation unit that calculates the number of parking spaces that can be used by each vehicle type in the entire parking lot based on the number of parking spaces for each vehicle type, the number of shared spaces for all vehicle types, the number of vehicles that can be parked in each shared space for each vehicle type, and an estimated ratio of the number of spaces used in the entire shared spaces for each vehicle type;
a parking rate calculation unit that calculates the parking rate or congestion degree of each vehicle type based on the current number of parked vehicles of each vehicle type and the total number of vehicles that can be parked in the parking lot;
A parking lot congestion degree calculation device comprising: 2. The parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the parking capacity calculation unit sets an estimated ratio of the number of occupied spaces to the total number of shared spaces for each vehicle type according to a time period or a date. 3. The parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to claim 1, wherein the parking rate calculation unit calculates, when the parking rate or congestion degree of a certain vehicle type exceeds 100%, the parking rate or congestion degree of other vehicle types when the certain vehicle type is parked in a space used for other vehicle types, based on how many vehicles of the certain vehicle type are excluded from the number of vehicles that can be parked in the entire parking lot for the certain vehicle type and how many vehicles of the certain vehicle type are converted into one vehicle of the certain vehicle type. 4. The parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to claim 1, further comprising an entry/exit number calculation unit that acquires radar reflection point information from radar transmitting/receiving devices installed at the parking lot entrance and the parking lot exit, identifies each vehicle type based on clustering of the radar reflection points, and calculates the most recent number of entering vehicles of each vehicle type and the most recent number of exiting vehicles of each vehicle type. 5. A parking lot congestion degree calculation program installed in a computer to cause the computer to function as the parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to claim 1. A parking lot congestion degree calculation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A radar transmitting/receiving device is installed at the entrance and exit of the parking lot;
A parking lot congestion degree calculation system comprising:

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